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July 24 2018 Joint Meeting with School Board MinutesMINUTES Frederick County Board of Supervisors — Frederick County School Board Joint Meeting Tuesday, July 24, 2018 5:30 p.m. Board Room, 107 North Kent Street, Winchester, VA ATTENDEES Board of Supervisors: Chairman Charles S. DeHaven, Jr,; Vice Chairman Gary A. Lofton; Blaine P. Dunn; Judith McCann -Slaughter; J. Douglas McCarthy; Robert W. Wells and Shannon G. Trout were present. Staff present: Kris C. Tierney, County Administrator; and Ann W. Phillips, Deputy Clerk to the Board of Supervisors. School Board: Dr, John Lamanna; Michael Lake; Seth Thatcher; Jay Foreman; and Shontya' Washington were present. Kali Klubertanz and Frank Wright were absent. Staff present: Dr. David Sovine, Superintendent; Dr. Al Omdorff, Assistant Superintendent for Administration; Dr. James Angelo, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction; and Patty Camery, Executive Director of Finance. CALL TO ORDER Chairman DeHaven called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Upon motion of Vice Chairman Lofton, seconded by Supervisor Dunn, the agenda was approved. DISCUSSION Chairman Lamanna provided an overview of the process in planning for a replacement Aylor Middle School beginning with the discussion at the January 2018 joint meeting of the two bodies. He said the current situation involves balancing the cost and the size of the replacement building, adding that a 160,000 square foot building is what is needed. Noting Supervisor Dunn's recent comments, he questioned why building a replacement building the same size as the current Admiral Byrd Middle School would not be appropriate for the Aylor community. Supervisor Dunn explained his concerns about the costs and the use of numbers showing overcrowding. He questioned whether the School Board was trying to predetermine the outcome of the decision on a replacement building. He discussed changes in the CIP priorities. Chairman Lamanna noted the CIP shows the needs, but that there is no expectation that all the projects on the CIP are affordable at one time, He stated that the School Board and staff never present data just to sway the course of a decision. He questioned why the School Board would want to do anything other than provide the best option for the students. Supervisor Dunn and Chairman Lamanna discussed square footage needs. Chairman Lamanna noted that Admiral Byrd is 160,000 square feet and is functioning well. Supervisor Dunn noted the comparison to Brambleton Middle School in Loudoun County. Board of Supervisors -School Board Joint Work Session of 07/24/18 Gounty of Frederick, Virginia 0O2 Mr. Thatcher noted the capacity of two of the three County middle schools has gone up. Supervisor McCarthy expressed his dismay at reading about the School Board vote on the resolution requesting the $45.5 million appropriation. He said he does not want the Board of Supervisors to vote on the matter only to have the new school be under capacity, adding that he is uneasy about voting if the product will not meet the needs. He discussed square footage benchmarks and the comparison to Brambleton Middle school in Loudoun County. He said the Boards should reach a compromise solution noting that the time frame before the deadline on entering the bond market cycle is nearing. Supervisor Lofton discussed the change in recommended space sizes, including collaborative learning spaces, needed space, and the reference to the 140,000 square foot building in the School Board's January presentation. He expressed a desire for a process to get the right information to the Board members. Dr. Sovine explained the process used for reviewing options for renovation versus replacement of the Aylor building, saying the 140,000 square foot building was an option reviewed during the process. He said it was determined that replacement with a 160,000 square foot building was the best option, and the 140,000 square foot building was not found to be a viable choice. Supervisor Lofton said he found the January presentation misleading since the 140,000 square foot building was shown as an option. Chairman Lamanna said Admiral Byrd Middle School has a capacity of 900 students, is functioning well, and is a significant reference point for the Board. He and Supervisor Lofton discussed recommended space sizes and how they relate to student performance. Dr. Sovine noted the new Frederick County Middle School is the most energy efficient in the County and has the most inspiring learning environment. Dr. Omdorff apologized for any confusion surrounding the January presentation slide showing a 140,000 square foot building. He clarified that the slide showed the process and steps the School Board took in determining the recommended replacement option. Chairman DeHaven said there had been good discussion and that he heard absolute commitment from the Boards to work more closely in the future. He said the County needs to build a school right now. In reference to Supervisor McCarthy's comment that the vote could be a mistake, Mr. Thatcher said it would not be a mistake for the Board to appropriate the $45.5 million at this time. Ms. Washington said that there have been many meetings and much information has been supplied. She said recommended numbers are minimum guidelines, but the best environment is what the students should have in a new school. She questioned why the Supervisors would visit another County for building prototypes when the Admiral Byrd building is here in Frederick County. She asked why the Boards would want the Aylor students to have anything less than Admiral Byrd students? She said the Boards need to look to the future rather than what has happened in the past to figure out what is best for the children and the community. Mr. Foreman said that if there were a way for the Boards to agree on the higher funding number, his only concern is doing so in time to meet the fall bond cycle. Minute Book 44 Board of Supervisors - School Board Joint Work Session of 07/24/18 County of Frederick, Virginia Supervisor McCarthy said he would need more transfer of information from the School Board before discussing a change in the proposed funding. Supervisor Wells said he has listened to all the comments and if there is not enough space in a 140,000 square foot building, then the Board needs to spend more and now is the time to do so. He said he had all the information that he requires, and he does not want to see quality education in Frederick County sacrificed. He said that the discussion is about increasing the funding so that the County is not shooting itself in the foot and suggested the County build to the standards needed by building another Admiral Byrd sized school. Supervisor Trout concurred with Supervisor Wells and suggested the Board approve $52 million for a Byrd sized school so that it will not reach capacity as soon as it is built. Supervisor McCarthy said the School Board is firm about the need for the 160,000 square foot building and he is open to discussion on that if there is understanding of how decisions have been made. Chairman DeHaven reiterated that both Boards are in favor of a more collaborative relationship. He restated the need to focus the effort on replacing the Aylor school building. Supervisor Trout explained the need for the larger square footage and said that reducing the size from that of the Admiral Byrd Middle School size is not the best option. Chairman Lamanna said that the School Board is not saying the design of the new school will be exactly like Byrd Middle School, but the capacity would be similar if it is built at 160,000 square feet. Mr. Tierney noted that if the Board does not decide on the appropriation at the July 25, 2018, meeting there would be limited time for the two Boards to reconvene to discuss the difference between the 140,000 versus the 160,000 square foot building size. He asked the members what additional information would be desired by the Board of Supervisors and if they wished to schedule another meeting. Supervisor Lofton asked for detail on the state standards and what lab sizes are based on. Supervisor Dunn said if a 140,000 square foot building will meet the needs he is not prepared to spend the extra money, but that if it will not meet the needs then he is willing to discuss the matter. Supervisor McCarthy said he has requested 'information on what things are not included in the state Department of Education minimums but are still required by the School Board. Supervisor Wells said considering the time constraint, the Board will not receive all the answers it has requested. He said the Board needs to trust the School Board and added the capacity of the new building will be fuller by the time it opens. Dr. Sovine said he and the School Board are committed to being responsive to getting the project completed. He said he will make his very best effort to respond to the questions asked by the Board members. Mr. Tierney noted that a meeting may be preferable and more informative than simply distributing the information that has been requested. Board of Supervisors - School Board Joint Work Session of 07124118 County of Frederick, Virginia 004 Dr. Sovine restated the requests of the members of the Board of Supervisors. He said understood the Board members are interested in learning more information about the Department of Education Standards and the differences and justification for the common standards used recently by Frederick County Public Schools. ADJOURN Upon motion of Supervisor McCarthy, seconded by Vice Chairman Lofton, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Charles S. DeHaven, Jr. Chairman, Board of Supervisors r' C. Tie in Cl rk, Boar f S rvi rs Minutes Prepared By: X14� Ann W. Phillips Deputy Clerk, Board of Supervisors Minute COOK 44 Board of Supervisors - School Board Joint Work Session of 07/24/18 County of Frederick, Virginia